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2 weeks ago | 
idealhome.co.uk | Ginevra Benedetti
Every day, the world of smart home continues to grow. Devices get cleverer, expanding their use and capability, to become an integral part of a modern home. One of the biggest tech-related buzzwords is AI. What is it really? Is it that helpful? Will it put people out of work? Will machines take over the world?? And so on. While the last two questions hopefully will never come to fruition, the answer to whether AI is a helpful addition to the smart home roster is most definitely a yes.
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1 month ago | 
msn.com | Ginevra Benedetti
Microsoft Cares About Your PrivacyMicrosoft and our third-party vendors use cookies to store and access information such as unique IDs to deliver, maintain and improve our services and ads. If you agree, MSN and Microsoft Bing will personalise the content and ads that you see. You can select ‘I Accept’ to consent to these uses or click on ‘Manage preferences’ to review your options and exercise your right to object to Legitimate Interest where used.
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1 month ago | 
idealhome.co.uk | Ginevra Benedetti
This lush multi-use garden in the smart, leafy suburbs of Cambridge wasn’t always so beautifully laid out. ‘It used to be a very traditional English garden, with a big lawn and lots of large shrubs,’ says owner, who lives here with her husband. ‘The lawn was lovely for the children.’But as the family grew up, the way they used the garden changed. ‘We wanted a much bigger social space that we could all enjoy together,’ she says. The crunch came when the couple had the kitchen extended.
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1 month ago | 
idealhome.co.uk | Ginevra Benedetti |Marisha Taylor
Having always longed to live by the sea, the owners of this (now) beautiful home bravely took on a full renovation of this outdated four-bedroom, detached house in West Dorset back in 2021. ‘We were living in a four-bedroom semi in Surrey. We’d spent summers visiting the Dorset coast and always said, “We’d love to live by the sea”, especially after my parents retired here. Then when my husband’s job went remote, we decided to go for it.
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1 month ago | 
idealhome.co.uk | Charlotte Luxford |Ginevra Benedetti
While they were delighted to received the keys to their first home, the owners of this detached 1950s period property in Bridgend, Wales were clear on something that needed to change. The bathroom.
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2 months ago | 
idealhome.co.uk | Annabelle Grundy |Ginevra Benedetti
For most of us, gardens are spaces that evolve over time. You may enlist the help of a garden designer or landscaper for larger jobs, or if you're particularly green-fingered, you might prefer to tackle it all yourself. But ultimately, your space will change and develop as the seasons do. Winner of Ideal Home's Best Garden 2024, this stunning garden in Surrey is a perfect example of an ever-evolving garden. It's a spacious plot, with lawns and mature trees at the front.
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2 months ago | 
idealhome.co.uk | Marisha Taylor |Ginevra Benedetti
When house hunting for their first home together, it was the practicality and reliability of a new-build that caught the attention of owners of this property. Located in their perfect spot – close to family, offering the tranquility of the countryside and with excellent transport links, the house was a brand-new, blank canvas, giving the couple the perfect opportunity to get creative and transform it into a characterful family home.
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2 months ago | 
idealhome.co.uk | Annabelle Grundy |Ginevra Benedetti
When this couple moved into their 1970s architect-designed bungalow in 2009, they had a major renovation on their hands. ‘Since we moved in everything has been redone – insulation, windows, plumbing, electricity and flooring,’ explains the owner. ‘Renovating the garden was one of the last things to tackle.''Technically, there was no garden – at least not one that we could use.
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Feb 8, 2025 | 
idealhome.co.uk | Ginevra Benedetti
Last year, when judging the Best Home 2024 category in our yearly Reader Home awards, Ideal Home's editorial team sifted through a wide range of entries, eventually choosing this stunning home as the winner. And if you passed by this five-bed Edwardian detached house in Surrey, you'd naturally think to yourself that it's a stunning property. But it certainly didn't begin that way.
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Jan 27, 2025 | 
idealhome.co.uk | KAREN WILSON |Ginevra Benedetti
Having already renovated three properties over the years, the owner of this stunning home was keen to get her teeth into a new project. She had moved frequently over the years in order to climb the property ladder to buy bigger houses in nicer areas. She tackled most of the work herself to ensure she saved as much as possible. So when an ex-rental house came on the market two doors from her mum, she jumped at the chance to take on a new challenge in the street where she grew up.
